Embrapa and partners discuss strategies for innovation in family farming

Discuss strategies for the future of family farming that promote innovation in the sector. This was the objective of the workshop that Embrapa held this week, at the headquarters of the Inter-American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture (IICA), in Brasília, between the 3rd and 5th. With the participation of representatives from partner institutions and government bodies that work with research, rural extension and public policies aimed at this segment, the meeting will give rise to a document with guidelines aimed at all Brazilian regions, with publication scheduled for December.

The debates focused on the more effective promotion of innovation in family farming, aiming at the sustainable production of food, fiber and energy through technological solutions that add value to products and expand their insertion in the market, increasing the income and quality of life of those farmers.

According to Embrapa researcher Daniela Bittencourt, the projects led by the company aimed exclusively at family farming are linked to 39 portfolios or research arrangements, on topics such as ecologically based production systems, social innovation, plant health and food, nutrition and health. There are 45 Embrapa Units and more than 140 partner institutions carrying out these projects. The company also structured in 2016, within the scope of the Agropensa system, the Observatory of Family Agriculture, whose internal network involves 1255 researchers, technicians and analysts.

“It is broad and structured work, but we need to move forward, think of innovative possibilities that promote the evolution of the productive and social organization of family farming and make family succession and quality of life in the countryside possible, without losing sight of its four functions basic aspects: food security, care for the environment, social and cultural function and economic viability”, reflected the researcher.

The head of Embrapa's Research and Development Department, Kepler Euclides Filho, highlighted the importance of discussing topics such as public policies, research, rural extension and adding value within the scope of family farming. “There is no innovation without these elements being very well positioned. Especially in this time of crisis, we need to reflect and promote creative opportunities to generate transformation using knowledge and technology.”

The workshop was attended by representatives from IICA, Special Secretariat for Family Agriculture and Agrarian Development of the Civil House, Confederation of Agriculture and Livestock of Brazil (CNA), Secretariat of Agriculture of the Federal District, Ministry of the Environment, National Confederation of Workers in Agriculture (Contag), National Commission for Agroecology and Organic Production (CNAPO), Sebrae, FAO, CIRAD, UFPA, UFRRS and UnB.